Activity Monitor Review (Gear Fit)

SHINY new objects are always exciting! In the world of fitness trackers, I like to look at the latest technology articles, analyzing what’s hot, what’s not, and what I will finally decide worthwhile to put on my wrist where everyone can see. That tracker finally arrived and has been on said wrist for two months now. Here is what I think:

The Samsung Gear Fit is not only a fitness tracker, but a Smart Watch that allows me to receive notifications for whatever apps I choose to be notified for. I have chosen to only be connected to one email account (out of three), Facebook messaging only, and text messages. It would be easy to go overboard and be “connected” to everything.

The Gear Fit is a watch that has the ability light up with the flick of your wrist. In my line of work, that can be counterproductive during public speaking engagements (SHINY objects) but it is a great feature. The size of the watch is also nice for small wrists, but not so small it wouldn’t look just fine on a male as well. It has a pedometer, tracks sleep, heart rate when you tell it to, and you can set it to track your run, cycling, or a specific walk so it determines your speed and distance. Like any other sports watch, there is a timer and stopwatch, but unlike any other, you can also control your media on your phone and there is a panic feature that will dial the emergency number programmed in.

All of these features are a lot of fun to play with! I use the running, pedometer and sleep feature on a fairly regular basis, as well as the notifications from my phone. There is a coach in the run app that tests your heart rate and vibrates on your wrist to tell you…something, but I’m usually too tired to look down at my wrist, so I turned off the coach.

Where I am disappointed is in the actual tracking itself. I do wear another trusted monitor elsewhere with a proven pedometer accuracy and my steps never line up. Some days, the Samsung Gear Fit are way over, some days they are way under. When compared to a tracker specific to running, they are also WAY different.

I am no professional; I just love trackers. The Samsung Gear Fit may not be as accurate as others, but as a lover of trackers, it is definitely a worthwhile option, especially with the added Smart Watch features.